Illinois notebook: Jereme Richmond adjusting to college ball

Illinois freshman forward Jereme Richmond made a confession to senior Mike Davis the other night while they shared a hotel room in Kalamazoo, Mich.

John Supinie

Illinois freshman forward Jereme Richmond made a confession to senior Mike Davis the other night while they shared a hotel room in Kalamazoo, Mich.

This college basketball thing is a little bit more difficult than he expected.

"I've never been pushed this hard in my life,'' said Richmond, the reigning Mr. Basketball in Illinois from Waukegan and the first McDonald's All-American recruited to Illinois since Dee Brown. "I've never had the physical and mental demands for the practices, meetings and scouting reports and games.''

If Richmond can admit to the transition from high school to college basketball, imagine the issues for North Carolina. The Tar Heels have the same problem, times seven. When No. 20 Illinois (6-1) hosts unranked North Carolina (4-2) on Tuesday (8:30 p.m., ESPN) in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge game at Assembly Hall, the Illini have one Big Mac.

The Tar Heels have seven - three of them freshmen - including all five starters, highlighted by forward Harrison Barnes, the first freshman named to the AP preseason All-America team. The transition isn't going so well for North Carolina, already a loser twice after the starting the season ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll. Two wins last week weren't very impressive. Perhaps coach Roy Williams just needs a little more time to mold his young roster.

Time is also on the side of Richmond, the heady freshman who has shown signs of figuring out the college game after dominating in high school and the AAU circuit.

"When he came here, he thought it would be easy,'' Davis said. "He realized he didn't know that much about the game. In high school, he could do whatever he wanted. He didn't have to be in the right positions on offense and defense. Now he does.

After getting 12 points and five rebounds against Western Michigan Saturday, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound Richmond is averaging 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds while doing his best work with crafty moves around the basket. A scorer but not a pure shooter, he will likely need perimeter skills before moving someday to that next level. Extra strength will also be a key, and Richmond never had a weight program before arriving on campus.

At this point, Richmond acted like there's still a lot to learn.

"Everybody was the man in high school and did their thing in high school,'' he said. "When you get here, the guys are older and stronger and been through the college rigors. They know the system, and they're mentally cut in. You come in behind the eight ball regardless of what people (thought of you).

"Lots of guys stay two and three years and beyond. If this level is different than high school, then imagine what the next level is going to be. People need to take that time and fine tune the game. It's not such a bad thing to stay in college.''

That fifth starting spot is still up for grabs. Coach Bruce Weber leaned toward starting senior forward Bill Cole, who started the first six games. Guard Brandon Paul, who started at Western Michigan, serves as the backup point guard, and Weber doesn't want to get into a bind with Paul and senior Demetri McCamey getting tired or getting into foul trouble simultaneously.

Richmond hasn't started yet but will also grow into a strong candidate for the starting lineup. Probably sometime later this season.

"If he continues to play like he has, he could push his way into it,'' Weber said.

FOOTBALL: Illinois junior running back Mikel Leshoure earned first-team all-Big Ten on Monday in voting from the coaches and media, while five other Illini were also named to first or second teams by the coaches or media.

Leshoure led all conference running backs with 1,371 yards rushing before Illinois (6-5, 4-4) ends the regular-season at Fresno State on Friday (9:15 p.m., ESPN).

"Coming into the season, people had their eyes on me,'' Leshoure said. "I'm happy to live up to that reputation.''

Junior linebacker Martez Wilson earned first-team from the media and second team from the coaches. Senior punter Anthony Santella was first team by the coaches and second team by the media. Junior defensive tackle Corey Liuget became a second-team pick in both categories while placekicker Derek Dimke received second team by the coaches and offensive tackle Jeff Allen was a second-team selection by the media.

"There's a big smile on my face,'' Wilson said. "Last year at this time, I was still recovering and making sure my neck is healthy. A year later, I just heard I'm first-team all-Big Ten. It feels good.''

VOLLEYBALL: Despite losing five of its last seven matches, Illinois received a No. 8 seed as one of the 16 national seeds in the NCAA Tournament and hosts a four-team pod at Huff Hall Friday and Saturday.

Illinois (22-8) hosts Austin Peay (26-7) at 7 p.m. Friday. Cincinnati (29-5) plays Western Kentucky (27-8) in another first-round game Friday. The winners meet at 7 p.m. Saturday with a berth to the Sweet 16 on the line.

Illini senior Johannah Bangert earned first-team ESPN academic All-America. Bangert is one of just six players from Division I to earn that distinction. The Illini hadn't had a first-team pick since Laura Bush in 1990.

IN OTHER NEWS: Al Brosky, a former Illini cornerback and a College Football Hall of Fame member, died Sunday at 82. Brosky played from 1950 to 1952 and set NCAA records with 29 interceptions and 15 consecutive games with an interception.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

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